18 Kitchens are the heart of the modern home, but they date quickly. Trawl through the smart showrooms for inspiration - Fired Earth's new freestanding Bastide Range is a classic style (£3,000 to £4,000 for a sink unit, 0845 366 0400, www.firedearth.com) or Kitchen Clinic (020 7348 0877, www.kitchenclinic.co.uk) for high-tech contemporary ideas - and then go about souring similar products for less money.

A local carpenter may be able to copy the style of cabinets at a fraction of the cost. Alternatively, buy low-cost carcasses, from Ikea or B&Q, and have bespoke doors made to your taste. Doors are also available from specialists online.

19 Or simply upgrade your existing kitchen. Worktops are perhaps the single most effective improvement. View worktop styles at www.albatops.co.uk and scour local advertisements for specialists on industrial estates as they will often have the biggest ranges at the lowest prices.

Try Preedy Glass for any coloured glass worktop or splashback from £200 per sq m (020 7700 0377, www.preedyglass.com). Pisani sells stone worktops mostly to the interior design trade but often has offers on a selected range for as little as £21 plus VAT per sq m (020 8568 5001, www.pisani.co.uk). You will then need someone to measure, cut and fit the stone.

Banish broken bathrooms

20 Bathrooms can clinch the deal when it comes to selling your house. But that does not necessarily mean that you need to rip out and start again, as plumbing can be both expensive and troublesome. As long as you have the obligatory white bath, basin and loo, there is much to be done that doesn't cost the earth.

Start with the taps. While your bath may not be anything special, it can be upgraded with decent taps, the higher quality the better.

Central taps, rather than end ones, are gaining popularity, but classical or timeless styles are undoubtedly the best investment.

"Buyers expect luxurious bathrooms these days," says Jeremy Best of the estate agents John D Wood, "but what they absolutely don't want is anything gimmicky such as waterfall taps or shallow basins without plugs."

Showers should be as spacious as possible, and at least a metre across. Check out the sales at big, upmarket showrooms such as CP Hart, which regularly offers discounts of up to 40 per cent (020 7902 1000, www.cphart.co.uk).

Wet rooms are an option but do investigate the practical considerations of installing one - go to www.wetroom.info for advice.

21 Boring or tatty tiles should be replaced. Try large slabs of marble or stone, rather than smaller tiles, for a clean, contemporary spa look (see similar suppliers to those recommended for kitchens, as before). Look at showrooms such as Capitol Ceramics for inspiration (020 7243 4731, www.capitolceramics.com) but also check your local tile shop for cost-effective copycat styles.

22 Install a downstairs cloakroom, especially in a family house where a second lavatory is essential.

Annexe space in a large utility room, hallway or even under the stairs. Corner lavatories and wash basins fit snugly into the tightest of spaces (see www.bathstore.com).